Microsense plans 600 hotspots
Rukmini Priyadarshini
Bangalore , Oct. 28

WITH over a million laptop users and a place in the high tech mindspace, India is ready for wi-fi — wireless broadband Net access, says networking solutions provider, Microsense. In a country with just over 500 `active' hotspots, Microsense plans to roll out 600 hotspots in six of India's top cities as well as in 15 smaller cities.

Speaking to Business Line , Mr S. Kailasnathan, MD, said the company planned to set up hundred wireless fidelity hotspots each in the metros and Bangalore and Hyderabad, "in areas of high target traffic for public wi-fi access." These high traffic spaces include IT parks, coffee shops, hotel lobbies, corporate campuses, commercial spaces and other preferred locations for the wi-fi-enabled professional.

The company plans to offer both pay-per-use as well as prepaid facilities at each of the wi-fi hotspots, with the prepaid account having roaming facility, Mr Kailasanathan saidMicrosense already has wi-fi enabled over 3,000 rooms in 14 premium hotels across India, said Mr N.V. Krishna, Director. The company plans tie-ups with more hotel chains to cater to the business and international traveller, he said.

Microsense is also in talks with corporates and government establishments to wi-fi enable corporate campuses and office infrastructure. "We believe that though late in adoption, business computing will be a driver for wi-fi," Mr Kailasanathan said. Even smaller enterprises or smaller outfits of larger enterprises are keen on wi-fi-enabling their workplaces - to cater to the mobile professional as well as to visitors. The SOHO segment too was likely to be a big buyer of Microsense's wi-fi kit, he said.

Microsense embarks on major expansion
BANGALORE, DHNS:

Microsense, a provider of Wireless LAN solutions, plans to set up about 1,000 public wi-fi hot spots across the country over the next six months. The company has bagged contracts to deploy wi-fi hot spot solutions in six luxury hotels in Sri Lanka.

Against the backdrop of increasing interest in wi-fi technology, the company has chalked out multi-pronged growth strategy to build wi-fi networks for the hospitality sector, enterprises and service providers.

The company will focus on three business models for larger market penetration — Build, Operate and Share (BOS) for the hospitality sector and property owners; Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) for service providers and Build, Operate and Own (BOO) for their flagship brand to be launched soon.

“India generates the highest average income from each hot spot among Asia-Pacific region. Microsense being an early mover is geared to ride the wi-fi wave,” the company's Managing Director S Kailasanathan told reporters here on Monday.
“Through our proactive and full service model, we expect to attract more wi-fi users and significantly increase wireless network usage. Currently, the company is implementing hundreds of hot spots across the country and expects its network to grow to 1,000 in the next six months,” he said. The company will invest few crore rupees for the expansion plans, he added.

On its Sri Lanka plans, Mr Kailasanathan said the company will deploy wi-fi solutiions in luxury hotels through a wholly-owned subsidiary.

He said the company had tied up with telecom service providers — Airtel and MTNL — to set up wi-fi hot spots in major cities.

Mr Kailasanathan said the privately-held firm had reported revenues of Rs 12 crore during the last fiscal (2003-04) and expected to double it this year (2004-05) thanks to the growing wi-fi market space in the country.

The company has developed wi-fi network solutions with custom-built operation support services that includes authorisation, authentication, netwok management, billing and technology support, said Mr N V Krishna, director, Microsense.

Microsense WiFi hotspots
Our Bureau

BANGALORE: Microsense, a provider of wireless area network solutions, has said it expects to implement about 1,000 WiFi hotspots over the next six months, the company said in a press release. It was also building networks in association with telecom service providers such as Airtel and MTNL and has already set up over 100 hotspots, it said.

The company is focussing on segments such as hospitality, enterprise and service providers and has evolved different business models to tap these segments in the four metros, Bangalore and Hyderabad, the release said. Microsense has over 20 hotel chains WiFi networked across the country, and also plans to implement the network in six hotels in Sri Lanka through a wholly-owned subsidiary.

DID YOU know that India generates the highest average income from each hotspot among Apac countries? Not surprising then that hotspot proliferation is happening rapidly in the country that otherwise has poor PC penetration compared to its neighbors. Reacting to market condition, Microsense, a provider of corporate solutions in the field of wide area network (WAN), has announced its multi pronged growth strategy to build WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) networks for the hospitality sector, enterprises and service providers. The company is currently implementing several hundred public hotspots across the country and expects its network to grow to 1,000 locations in the next six months.

"Though the penetration of notebooks in India is only 3% compared to the 40% in western markets, the PC market is in the throes of transition from a desktop centric mindset to a notebook one with the market seeing a growth of 100% in sales," according to Mr S Kailasnathan, managing director, Microsense.